The deal between Turkey and the United States regarding the northern Syrian town of Manbij is delayed “but not completely dead”, President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying by Hurriyet newspaper on Thursday.

Erdogan made the comments to reporters on Tuesday on the flight back from his visit to Hungary.

Asked about the trial of U.S. evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey, Erdogan said he was not in a position to interfere with the judiciary because Turkey is a state of law.